Greece

Yacht Crew Expected to Deny Arson Charges Over Fire on Greek Island

The crew members of a yacht accused of starting a forest fire last week on the Greek island of Hydra are expected to deny arson charges when they appear before a judge on Wednesday, a legal source said.Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country but they have become more frequent and devastating due to hotter, drier and windier weather, which scientists link to climate change. Greece has in recent years beefed up penalties for arson.The fire, which is believed to have been sparked by fireworks…

Solo Paddler Fuhrmann Makes Headway on 10,500km Kayak Trip for Charity

In late May 2022, Mark Fuhrmann set out on an epic, solo 10,500 km kayak trip, a venture that the 64-year-old Canadian is using to raise more than over EURO 100,000 for Doctors Without Borders and Captains Without Borders.Fuhrmann has been a staple in the marine industry for the past three decades, running a PR and marketing businesses in Oslo, Norway. Solo paddles for charity are not new to Fuhrmann, who who undertook a 5,900km charity kayak from Oslo to Athens, Greece, in 2018.

World’s Most Famous Superyacht Gets New BWTS

The world’s most famous luxury yacht is operating an advanced BIO-SEA ballast water treatment system from France’s BIO-UV Group.Christina O, the 1943-built motor yacht named after the only daughter of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, was fitted with a low-flow BIO-SEA system last year as part of a major refurbishment at the D.K Fotinakis yard, in Greece.To fit the limited space available in the 325ft long vessel’s machinery room, the 87m3/h capacity BIO-SEA L03-0087 system was supplied on two separate skids – one housing all mechanical components…

Tech File: Inside the Furuno ‘Future Bridge’

With autonomous navigation and remote electronics management, Furuno is on a digital transformation journey to help revolutionize the maritime industry. Matt Wood, National Sales Manager, Furuno USA takes a deeper dive.In 1938, Kiyotaka Furuno founded Furuno Electric Shokai Ltd., the predecessor of Furuno Electric Company. Today Furuno is best known as a radar and navigation company with nearly 90 percent of its business in the maritime sector. “We are still principally a family-owned…

Police Smash Ring Smuggling Migrants from Turkey to Italy in Yachts

European police have dismantled a criminal network that made hundreds of millions of euros smuggling migrants from Turkey to Italy mainly on yachts, Greek police said.Greece and Italy have been on the frontline of Europe's migration crisis since it began in 2015. While most migrants and refugees typically cross from Turkey to nearby Greek islands, a growing number of people have reached Italy from Turkey by sea since 2020, according to the United Nations refugee agency.Twenty-nine people were arrested in raids in Albania, Greece and Italy on Jan. 19, Greek police said late on Thursday.

Superyachts Enjoy Pandemic Tailwind as Rich Seek Zen at Sea

When Chinese billionaire Jack Ma took a trip to Spain's Mallorca island last month, much was made of it being his first foreign foray since a 2020 fallout with regulators had clipped his wings.However, Ma's sunny sojourn on his newly-built 88-metre (289 ft) cruise boat Zen - estimated to be worth $200 million - also put a spotlight on a global trend: the return of the superyacht.As the number of billionaires grows and COVID-19 has added to incentives for avoiding crowds, the multi…

MCI Sees Turnover by Quarter

Dorset, UK maritime company Marine Components International has increased turnover by a quarter in the last 12 months under new management.New deals in the superyacht and motor boat sectors across the UK and Europe have ramped up turnover to $1.76million, nearly double sales from two years ago at the company which provides distribution and technical support for a range of manufacturers.MCI managing director Andy Scott, who took over the Poole headquartered company in 2017, said…

"The best expedition cruise ship ever"

A cruise industry veteran of more than 25 years, Nikolaos Doulis, Lindblad Expeditions’ SVP, New Buildings, discusses with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News the build plan for “the best expedition cruise ship ever built.”Born in Greece to a seafaring family, Nikolaos Doulis was destined for a maritime career. His father was a ship captain and eventually a ship owner, and to support the family business he wanted his son to have an engineering education. So at the age of 14, Doulis started spending more time in and around ships…

Superyacht Refit with FarSounder Sonar

Marel Electronics, FarSounder’s dealer in Greece, commissioned a FarSounder-500 on a refit project of a 120m superyacht. Marel was contracted to supply, connect, integrate, and commission the system. Chalkis Shipyard in Greece mounted the sonar directly on the hull per the drawings provided by the ship’s naval architect under the guidance and with the assistance of the FarSounder technical team. “With a FarSounder-500 aboard, bridge officers expect to increase the ship’s safety when approaching coastal shallow water areas” said Kyriakos Alexopoulos of Marel Electronics.

Greek CG Nabs 1.3 tonnes of Cannabis

Greece's coast guard seized about 1.3 tonnes of processed cannabis, hidden aboard a foreign flagged fishing vessel intercepted off the southern island of Crete, it said on Sunday. The drug bust was the result of a three-day operation. Greek authorities had been informed by French customs that a suspect ship was sailing to the southeast of the island, possibly carrying illegal cargo. The operation involved four coast guard patrol vessels and two planes, one belonging to Frontex - the European border and coast guard agency.

Wärtsilä Bridge Systems for Two New Mega Yachts

Wärtsilä informs it has been contracted to supply its Nacos Platinum integrated bridge system for two new mega yachts: one an 85 meter long vessel and the other 91 meters long, both being built in Greece. In addition to the systems, Wärtsilä will provide the project management, engineering, pre-wiring of the consoles and system commissioning services, thus delivering a complete solution. The new and advanced bridge console concept for these vessels includes an integrated navigation system (INS) with compass and latest technology navigation sensors…

Wärtsilä Nacos Platinum Bridge for Mega Yachts

Wärtsilä wa contracted to supply its Nacos Platinum integrated bridge system for two new mega yachts; one an 85 m long vessel and the other 91 mlong, being built in Greece. In addition to the systems, Wärtsilä will also provide the project management, engineering, pre-wiring of the consoles and system commissioning services, thus delivering a complete solution. The orders with Wärtsilä were booked in March and July 2017. The new and advanced bridge console concept for these vessels includes an integrated navigation system (INS) with compass and latest technology navigation sensors…

ICOMIA Marinas Group Welcomes D-Marine as Member

Marina design and operations specialist, D-Marin, has joined the International Council of Marine Industry Associations’ (ICOMIA) Marinas Group. D-Marin is a Doğuş Group company that was established to set a new benchmark in design and operations of marinas, a sector it believes has high development potential within the yachting industry. By managing 10 unique marinas in the Ionian, Aegean & Adriatic Seas, D-Marin has created one of the largest international chain of marinas in the Eastern Mediterranean…

Mega Yacht Shipped from Lavrion to Dubai

In early October, cargo vessel MV Rickmers Dalian made a stop-over at the anchorage off Lavrion in Greece to load a mega yacht for shipment to Dubai, where she was discharged on October 19. The shipment of the 50-meter-long, 340-metric-ton yacht was coordinated and booked by Rickmers-Linie’s customer Cigisped, who specializes in the organization of yacht shipments of all sizes. MV Rickmers Dalian (30,000dwt) is one of nine identical sister vessels of the Superflex Heavy MPC Class employed in Rickmers-Linie’s Round-The-World Pearl String service.

KVH Upgrades IP-MobileCast Service

KVH Industries has updated its unique IP-MobileCastTM content delivery service for additional viewing flexibility and expanded content offerings. The new features are being rolled out in stages, with the first round of upgrades automatically delivered via over-the-air software updates for current subscribers. IP-MobileCast was developed by KVH and launched in 2014 as the first and only service to multicast movies, TV shows, daily news and sports, as well as operational data via satellite to vessels at sea.

Video: Mega Sailing Ship Docks in Greece

One of the largest sailing ships in the world, the 636-foot-long Club Med 2 is a huge five-masted cruise ship owned and operated by Club Med. The impressively massive vessel recently called the port of Chios Island Greece, where Konstantinos Mil. Anagnostou was able to capture stunning aerial photos and video. Watch here. Built from 1992 to 1996 in Le Havre, France, Club Med 2 harnesses power from computer-operated sails combined with diesel-electric power. Seven sails and four diesel generators powering two electric motors propel the ship to speeds of 10-15 knots.

TransAtlantic Speed Record: Will it Ever be Broken Again?

Will the prestigious TransAtlantic speed and endurance record ever be broken? Should it? Twenty five years ago headlines around the world announced a new world record, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, by a ship built in Australia. Incat Tasmania reports that June 23, 2015, marks 25 continuous years that Incat built fast ships have held the record for the fastest Transatlantic Crossing. On 23 June 1990 Hoverspeed Great Britain, a ship (Incat hull 025) built by Incat in Tasmania…

New Flagship Joins CMV Cruise Line

Britain's Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has taken delivery of new flagship Magellan ahead of its maiden voyage in March. The former 1,250-passenger ship Grand Holiday, operated by Costa brand Iberocruceros, was built in 1985 and revamped in 2010. The new flagship will now reposition to Greece for a drydock period before sailing to the U.K. for  various launch events and it maiden Solar Eclipse and Northern Lights cruise departing on March 15 from Tilbury. According to CMV's commercial director Chris Coates said the ship has already been popular with guests. The addition of Magellan to our fleet brings a new dimension in cruising to CMV, he noted.

Young Endeavour Sets Sail on World Voyage

The Royal Australian Navy operated Sail Training Ship Young Endeavour set sail from Sydney today for a 12-month voyage, circumnavigating the globe. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester, attended the departure from Fleet Base East, and spoke with members of the Royal Australian Navy crew and the 24 young Australians who will sail the ship on the first leg, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "The navy crew and young Australians who set sail from Sydney today represent every Australian state and territory.